A French Expedition led by Maurice Herzog explored the Kali Gandaki valley in 1950. After descending Dhaulagiri which was too difficult, they turned their attention to combing Annapurna. Hampered by inaccurate maps, they spent considerable time and effort finding a way to the foot of the mountain. They eventually ascended via Miristi Khola to the north face of mount Annapurna in June 1950, just before the start of the Monsoon. The summiteers suffered frostbite on descends. They had to be evacuated back to the road heading to India for treatment as there were hardly any specialized medical centers in Nepal in those days.